Quidway NetEngine40E

Configuration Guide - MPLS Contents

Contents

1 MPLS Overview .........................................................................................................................1-1

1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 1-2
1.1.1 Basic Concepts of MPLS ..................................................................................................................... 1-2
1.1.2 MPLS Network Structure ..................................................................................................................... 1-4
1.1.3 MPLS Architecture .............................................................................................................................. 1-5
1.1.4 MPLS and Routing Protocols .............................................................................................................. 1-6
1.1.5 References ............................................................................................................................................ 1-7
1.2 Applications of MPLS ................................................................................................................................... 1-7
1.2.1 MPLS-Based VPN ............................................................................................................................... 1-7
1.2.2 MPLS-Based QoS ................................................................................................................................ 1-8

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Configuration Guide - MPLS Figures

Figures

Figure 1-1 Label encapsulation structure ........................................................................................................... 1-2

Figure 1-2 Label encapsulation location in a packet .......................................................................................... 1-3

Figure 1-3 MPLS network structure ................................................................................................................... 1-5

Figure 1-4 Architecture of MPLS ....................................................................................................................... 1-6

Figure 1-5 MPLS and routing protocols ............................................................................................................. 1-7

Figure 1-6 MPLS-based VPN ............................................................................................................................ 1-8

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Configuration Guide - MPLS Tables

Tables

Table 1-1 Fields in a label ................................................................................................................................... 1-3

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1 MPLS Overview

About This Chapter

The following table shows the contents of this chapter.

Section Description

1.1 Introduction This section describes the concepts, networking and

architecture of MPLS.
1.2 Applications of MPLS This section describes the applications of MPLS.

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1.1 Introduction
This section covers the following topics that you need to know before you configure MPLS:
Basic Concepts of MPLS
MPLS Network Structure
MPLS Architecture
MPLS and Routing Protocols
References

1.1.1 Basic Concepts of MPLS

The Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is first introduced to increase the forwarding
speed. While forwarding packets, MPLS analyzes the IP packet header only at the network
edge and not at every hop. This differs from the traditional IP routing, and saves the
processing time.
MPLS originates from the Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4). The core technique of MPLS is
applied to multiple network layer protocols, including Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6),
Internet Packet Exchange (IPX), Appletalk, DECnet, Connectionless Network Protocol
(CLNP), and so on. The "Multiprotocol" in MPLS indicates that multiple protocols are
supported.

Forwarding Equivalent Class

MPLS is a high-performance forwarding technology that takes the packets with the same
forwarding mode as a class. This kind of class is called the Forwarding Equivalence Class
(FEC). The packets of the same FEC are treated alike in the MPLS network.
The source address, destination address, source port, destination port, protocol type, Virtual
Private Network (VPN) or any of these combinations determines an FEC. For example,
packets that are transmitted to the same destination through the longest match algorithm
belong to an FEC.

Label
A label is a short identifier of a fixed length with local significance. It is used to uniquely
identify an FEC. The label assigned to the packet represents an FEC. In some cases, different
labels are assigned to an FEC, but only a single label represents it.
A label is 4 bytes long and is contained in the packet header, excluding the topology
information.
Figure 1-1 shows the label encapsulation structure.

Figure 1-1 Label encapsulation structure

0 19 22 23 31
Label Exp S TTL

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A label contains four fields. See Table 1-1 for details.

Table 1-1 Fields in a label

Field Description Length

Label It represents the label value, and is used as the 20 bits

pointer for forwarding.
Exp It is reserved and used for experiments. It is 3 bits
generally used as Class of Service (CoS).
S It represents a label stack. The value 1 refers to 1 bit
the bottom layer label.
TTL It represents the time to live, and has the same 8 bits
meaning as the TTL in the IP packet.

The label here is a connection identifier, similar to the ATM VPI/VCI and the Frame Relay
DLCI.
If the link layer protocol has the label field, the label is encapsulated in the field.
If the link layer protocol has no label field, the label resides between Layer 2 and Layer 3
like a "shim".
The label, thus, can be supported by any link layer protocol. Figure 1-2 shows the label
encapsulation location in a packet.

Figure 1-2 Label encapsulation location in a packet

Ethernet/PPP header Label Layer 3 data

Ethernet/SONET/SDH packet

ATM header Label Layer 3 data

ATM packet in frame mode

LSR
A Label Switched Router (LSR) is a basic component of the MPLS network and all the LSRs
support MPLS.
An LSR has two components:
Control part: It allocates labels, selects routes, creates the label-forwarding information
base, and sets up or deletes a Label Switched Path (LSP).
Forwarding part: It forwards received packets according to the entries in the
label-forwarding base.

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Label Distribution Protocol

The Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) is the control protocol of MPLS. It is similar to the
signaling protocol in the traditional network.
LDP is responsible for packet classification, label distribution, LSP establishment and
maintenance.
MPLS supports multiple label distribution protocols. They are:
Specially defined protocols for label distribution, such as LDP and Constraint-based
Routing LDP (CR-LDP)
Extended existent protocols that support label distribution, such as Border Gateway
Protocol (BGP) and Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP)
The router supports the protocols mentioned above and the static LSP.

LSP
An LSP refers to the path along which an FEC is transmitted in the MPLS network.
The LSP functions as a unidirectional path from the ingress to the egress, similar to the ATM
or FR virtual circuit. Each node in the path is an LSR. Two neighboring LSRs are called
upstream LSR and downstream LSR respectively according to the data transmission direction.
The LSP is divided into:
Static LSP: The administrator configures static LSPs.
Dynamic LSP: The routing protocol and the label distribution protocol generate dynamic
LSPs.

1.1.2 MPLS Network Structure

Figure 1-3 shows the LSRs in the MPLS network. The network consisting of LSRs, is called
an MPLS domain.
An edge LSR, also called Lebled Edge Router (LER), is located at the edge of the domain and
has a neighboring LSR that does not run MPLS. The LSR located inside the domain is called
a core LSR. The core LSR can be either a router that supports MPLS or an ATM LSR
upgraded from an ATM switch. MPLS runs between the LSRs in the domain, and IP runs
between an LER and a router outside the domain.
The LSRs along which labeled packets are transmitted form an LSP. Of them, the ingress LER
is called ingress, the egress LER is called egress, and the intermediate LER is called transit.

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Figure 1-3 MPLS network structure

Ingress Egress

MPLS Core
Switch (LSR)

MPLS Edge Label Switched Path (LSP)

Router(LER)

Figure 1-3 shows the working process of the MPLS. The details are as follows:
1. LDP establishes a label map for the preferred FECs in each LSR through the routing
table generated by the traditional routing protocols like OSPF and IS-IS.
2. The ingress receives a packet, determines its FEC and adds a label to the packet. This
packet is called the MPLS labeled packet.
3. The transits forward the packet according to its label and the label forwarding
information base without any Layer 3 processing.
4. The egress strips off the label and continues the forwarding for delivery.
MPLS is a tunnel technique rather than a service or application. It is a routing and forwarding
platform that combines the label switched forwarding with the network layer routing. It
supports multiple upper layer protocols and services, and guarantees security during the
transmission of information.

1.1.3 MPLS Architecture

The architecture of MPLS comprises the following:
Control plane: It is connectionless and implemented through the current IP network.
Forwarding plane: It is also known as the data plane and is connection-oriented. It uses
the Layer 2 network such as ATM or Frame Relay network.
MPLS uses a short label of a fixed length to encapsulate packets. The data with the label is
fast-forwarded on the data plane. The powerful, flexible routing function of the IP network is
used on the control plane to meet the demands of new applications.
Figure 1-4 shows the architecture of MPLS.

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Figure 1-4 Architecture of MPLS

Control Plane
IP Routing Protocol

Routing Information Base

(RIB)

Label Information
MPLS IP Routing Protocol
Base(LIB)

Forwarding Plane
Label Forwarding
Information Base(LFIB)

On the forwarding plane, core LSRs forward only labeled packets, whereas LERs forward
both labeled packets and IP packets. The labeled packets use the Label Forwarding
Information Base (LFIB), and the IP packets use the Forwarding Information Base (FIB).

1.1.4 MPLS and Routing Protocols

Establishing the LSP by the Routing Table
When LDP establishes an LSP in the hop-by-hop manner, it specifies the next hop according
to the routing table on the LSR. The information in the routing table is collected by the
routing protocol, such as Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) and BGP. LDP uses only the
routing information.

Supporting Label Distribution by the Extension of the Existing Protocols

The extension of the existing protocols such as BGP and RSVP also supports the distribution
of MPLS labels.

Supporting MPLS Applications by Extension of Some Routing Protocols

In some MPLS applications, it is necessary to extend the routing protocols. For example, the
MPLS-based VPN application needs the extension of BGP so that BGP supports the sending
of the VPN routing information. The MPLS-based TE needs the extension of OSPF or IS-IS
to carry the link status information.
Figure 1-5 shows the relationship between MPLS and routing protocols.

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Figure 1-5 MPLS and routing protocols

ISIS OSPF LDP CR-LDP RSVP-TE

TEDB LSP Management (LSPM)

MPLS Forwarding

1.1.5 References
For more information on MPLS, refer to RFC 3031 Multiprotocol Label Switching
Architecture.

1.2 Applications of MPLS

With the development of the Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) technology, the
route searching speed does not hinder the network growth. This makes MPLS no longer solely
enjoy distinct advantages in the improved forwarding speed.
MPLS, however, combines the powerful Layer 3 routing function of IP networks and the
high-efficiency forwarding mechanism of traditional Layer 2 networks. It is
connection-oriented on the forwarding plane, which is very similar to the forwarding mode of
the existing Layer 2 networks. These characteristics allow easy seamless connection of IP
networks and Layer 2 networks such as the ATM network and the Frame Relay network.
MPLS also offers a better solution to applications such as Quality of Service (QoS), TE and
VPN.

1.2.1 MPLS-Based VPN

For traditional VPNs, the transmission of data between private networks and public networks
is usually carried out through tunneling protocols such as GRE, L2TP and PPTP. The LSP
itself is a tunnel on the public network. The implementation of VPNs using MPLS has an
advantage.
The MPLS-based VPN connects the geographically dispersed branches of a private network
by using the LSP, forming a united network. The MPLS-based VPN also supports the
interconnection between different VPNs.
Figure 1-6 shows the basic structure of an MPLS-based VPN.
The Customer Edge (CE) can be a router, a switch, or a host.
The Provider Edge (PE) is a router residing in the backbone network.

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Figure 1-6 MPLS-based VPN

CE3
VPN
branch 3
PE3

CE1 PE1

Backbone network
VPN
branch 1 PE2

CE2

VPN
branch 2

The PE manages VPN users, sets up LSP connections between PEs, and assigns routes for
each branch of users of the same VPN. Usually the route allocation between PEs is carried out
by LDP or the extended BGP.
The MPLS-based VPN supports the IP address space overlap between different branches and
the interconnection between different VPNs. Compared to the traditional routes, the VPN
routes are added with the branch and VPN distinguisher information. So, it is necessary to
extend BGP to carry the VPN routing information.

1.2.2 MPLS-Based QoS

The router supports MPLS-based TE and Diff-serv features. It ensures effective network
utilization and implements differentiated services according to the priorities of streams. Thus,
the router provides voice and video streams with low delay, low packet loss and stable
bandwidth guarantee.
Because it is difficult to carry out TE over the whole network, the Diff-serv model of QoS is
likely to be implemented in actual networking solutions.
The Diff-serv model maps a service to a certain service class at the network edge according to
the QoS requirement of the service. The Differentiated Service (DS) field (derived from the
TOS field) in the IP packet identifies the service uniquely. Each node in the backbone network
then performs the preset service policies. Service policies are applied to diversified services
according to the field to ensure the QoS.
The QoS classification and label mechanism in the Diff-serv is similar to the MPLS label
distribution. The MPLS-based Diff-serv is implemented by integrating the DS distribution
into the MPLS label distribution.

This volume deals with the MPLS basics and MPLS TE.
For details of MPLS VPN configuration, refer to the Quidway NetEngine40E Universal Service
Router Configuration Guide VPN.
For details of MPLS QoS configuration, refer to the Quidway NetEngine40E Universal Service
Router Configuration Guide QoS.

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